Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta Tests Advanced Anti-Cheat with Secure Boot
Activision's upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to introduce advanced anti-cheat measures, with the beta phase starting on October 2. The PC version requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, which may pose challenges for some players.
The beta phase, which begins on October 2 for early access players and October 5 for everyone else, will be the first test of these new anti-cheat protections. Ricochet Anti-Cheat, Activision's existing system, will be enhanced for this installment.
Secure Boot, a UEFI firmware, is one of the required measures. It prevents unauthorized software from running during PC startup, ensuring the integrity of the boot process. While primarily a security feature for the operating system, its use in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield is a recent development. Battlefield 6's technical director, Christian Buhl, admitted that Secure Boot is necessary for their anti-cheat measures. However, it seems there are no specific game publishers currently using UEFI firmware and Secure Boot directly for anti-cheat systems in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Other anti-cheat methods used in games include kernel-mode drivers, API monitoring, and machine learning. Systems like BattlEye, Easy Anti-Cheat, and Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) work on the software level and don't directly involve UEFI firmware or Secure Boot.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's beta will test advanced anti-cheat protections, including the use of Secure Boot. While this may cause difficulties for some players, it's a step towards enhancing game security. The official release is scheduled for November 14, giving players time to prepare and adapt to these new measures.
